Figures show how many NCEA students achieved level 1 qualification last year and the Ministry of Justice has been encouraged to check its systems following a privacy breach.
The latest results released on Friday show 70% of participating enrolled Year 11 students attained NCEA Level 1 in 2024. While that’s a fall from the 82% who received it in 2023, there have been changes to the qualification.
That includes the introduction of a 20-credit literacy and numeracy co-requisite, fewer, larger achievement standards and different methods of assessment.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) said 45,038 of the 70,250 enrolled Year 11 students participated in the full assessment programme towards NCEA Level 1.
Of them, 70% attained the qualification on provisional results, with that expected to increase by 1 to 1.5 percentage points when results are finalised.
“The 12 percentage point decrease in attainment for students participating in a full NCEA Level 1 is a result of two key drivers.
“It primarily reflects the tightened Literacy and Numeracy | Te Reo Matatini me te Pāngarau co-requisite requirement, and the changing composition of students participating.”
The NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 results for 2024 were fairly in line with those from 2023.
“Provisional 2024 NCEA Level 2 attainment by students in Year 12 is 72.7% compared to 73.2% in 2023,” the NZQA said.
“Year 13 provisional attainment of NCEA Level 3 is 68.2% compared to 67.7% in 2023, and Year 13 University Entrance (UE) attainment is 48.2% compared to 49.7% in 2023.”
But when the results are finalised, the NZQA expected both the Level 2 and 3 results to be slightly higher than 2023, and University Entrance to be similar to the year prior.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the lower results were anticipated. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
Stanford said results from the restructured NCEA Level 1 had been “anticipated” to be lower than in previous years.
“While 2023 and 2024 results cannot be directly compared, the 2024 result brings the state of literacy and numeracy in New Zealand into sharp focus.
“Just 69 percent of participating students achieved the compulsory ‘co-requisite’ requirement. This unmasks the reality of literacy and numeracy achievement at this level, something the old NCEA system failed to do.
“While these Level 1 students will have another two years to pass this requirement, it’s important to note the level it is set at is foundational and in line with a level of the curriculum that equates to the end of Year 8 and beginning of Year 9.”
Stanford said it showed the need for the Government’s focus on raising literacy and numeracy skills.
Among the Government’s moves in the education space has been to require primary school students to spend an hour daily on reading, writing and maths.
Structured literacy and mathematics will also be taught in primary schools from Term 1.
“Prioritising literacy and numeracy in the early years will enable future cohorts of students to confidently sit the compulsory ‘co-requisite’ assessments when they get to NCEA,” she said.
Stanford acknowledged those already at secondary school won’t benefit from these changes.
“In November, we announced a $2.5 million package to support 10,000 identified students get across the line.
“These students will get personalised teaching support, and school leaders will be supported to implement literacy and numeracy teaching strategies. We’re using the latest student achievement data to target this funding to the schools that need it the most.”
The NZQA has also changed how it reports attainment for Year 11 students at NCEA Level 1 to better account for number of enrolled students not entering the full NCEA Level 1 programme
NZQA deputy chief executive, assessment, Jann Marshall, said 75% of Year 11 students participated in a full NCEA Level 1 programme in 2023..
“In 2024, the percentage participating has dropped to 64%, as a growing number of schools choose not to offer the optional NCEA Level 1, either at all or in its entirety.
“At a national level, it is no longer useful to compare data using all students enrolled at Year 11, with a third of these students not participating in Level 1 last year.
“In recent years, those who enrolled but did not participate were included in our data. This is no longer the case for Level 1.”
NZQA will now report Year 11 NCEA Level 1 attainment based on the population of Year 11 students participating in a full NCEA Level 1 assessment programme.
